Life with three beagles!

So now that Cliffy is back as a house guest and with the puppy, Bella, I am in beagle heaven! Bailey is not that excited about Bella though she tolerates her, and of course, Bella will not give Bailey , Clifford, nor us a rest! Everything is a chew toy to Bella! We are trying to housebreak her which is easier said than done : ) Both Bailey and Clifford are on medication. Bailey has conjunctivitis which could be a sign of graft versus host disease (GVHD) which would mean that the donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) is working. Unfortunately, I found out a couple of days ago that Tito is not a donor match for Bailey--I really do hope that the DLI will work for her. Last night when I took Bailey and Cliffy out for a walk, Bailey wanted to stop and savor every smell while Clifford wanted to run--I felt like a wishbone : )

The past few days!

Sorry, I have neglected to post updates the past few days, but with Bella's arrival and the holidays things have been quite hectic in our household. Bella is little, but really so full of energy and needs to be carefully supervised when she's awake. I will take Bailey up to the clinic in Bellingham tomorrow for some tests to see how the DLI is working, and Cliffy will come back with us, since he is feeling better. I will be in beagle heaven with three beagles until I return Cliffy to his family in another week or so : ) Cliffy will get his holiday gifts tomorrow. Bailey does not seem that thrilled with Bella , but she tolerates her as do our two cats, Pooh Boo and Puff.

Cliffy is back!

Yesterday, after I had just finished sealing a holiday card for the Suttons (owner of Cliffy) I got a call from Jerrie Sutton telling me that Cliffy was sick and she wanted to know if I could come and get him and take him to see Dr. Sullivan. I met her at Yakima where I got Cliffy and took him to the clinic today. Thankfully, Cliffy will be fine after spending a few days at the clinic-- I will be able to pick him up Tues. and bring him back to my house to stay for a week or so. It is great to have Cliffy back, just too bad it has to be because he isn't feeling well. Too bad he can't spend Christmas with us. He will have to wait until Tuesday to open his presents.

Bailey is my best friend!

Today Bailey was with me no matter what part of the house I was in. She supervised me putting the tree up and wrapping presents--it is so nice being home for a while--winter break. I am trying to give her my undivided attention as I know once the puppy arrives things will never be the same. She still refuses to eat her dog food, but since she will eat people food I am thinking she is not feeling sick--just spoiled : ) We still miss Cliffy. I think he will always be my second favorite beagle!

Bailey really does not like her dog food!

I always worry about Bailey when she isn't so interested in her food. I have tried about a billion different brands of dog food, some of them quite spendy. Now a days I pay close attention to the ingredients. We don't know how Bailey got cancer, but from info. on the canine cancer web-sites I realize that we should not only be careful about what we eat , but what we feed our pets as well. Anyways, she does not have much of an appetite. I will see how she is tonight and tomorrow. We will go out for our evening walk shortly. I am wondering how she will react to the new puppy? She really took to Cliffy and likes dogs that are black, but somehow I think that she may find the puppy to be a nuisance!

A cold, sunny day in Seattle

Today Bailey is wearing her birthday collar--pink with ribbon flowers. People will definitely know she is a girl now. Many in Seattle are still without electricity. Yesterday three families whose children I tutor didn't have power yet. I hope they got it back today. Meg came up with the first name for Bella--Jingle, since she will be a Christmas puppy present. I am sure there are not so many dogs registered with AKC as Jingle Bella. The breeder said she only weighs about two pounds and most likely will weigh between seventeen to twenty pounds as an adult. She is not a pocket beagle either. Bailey is a big girl--forty-three pounds. Though she doesn't look obese, she has been called robust--a word that makes Meg cringe : )

Picture of Jingle Bella

Bailey turns seven!

Yesterday Bailey turned seven. She celebrated by walking, eating, and napping, not unlike any other day. However, the really important thing is that she is still with us! We are so hoping that she will live to see many more birthdays. We are busy getting the house ready for the holidays and are thinking about puppy proofing the house for my surprise Christmas present ( I already know about) : )

The big wind storm

Seattle had a big wind storm last night. The transformer in front of our house blew, loud noises and light flashing, for many hours. Bailey backed herself under the lamp table, which was where she positioned herself on the Fourth of July. We were lucky, however, as we did not lose power. As I am a teacher, I get winter break one day early--Seattle Public Schools are closed along with many other school districts in W. Washington.

A sister for Bailey : )

Bailey doesn't know it , but soon she will have a baby sister--a tri-colored beagle who will be named Bella. We were thinking of getting another dog in September, just before we learned Bailey had relapsed, which put everyhing on hold. Our eight year old shepherd mix dog, Tinsel, collapsed and died of Cushing's disease three days before Bailey had her transplant in April. This was quite unexpected, as we did not realize she was sick.

Bailey is back home : )

Bailey is back home. She was so very happy to see me! Though she was whining during the car ride home, and I thought it was due to her having to go potty--we stopped at a rest stop, but that did not seem to be the problem. Then I remembered that usually before I go back home I stop at McDonalds in B'ham for a cone for me and a plain McChicken sandwhich for her, which I failed to do, so I stopped in Burlington and bought her a sandwhich-- she was quiet after that! It seems that her panting may be due to her enlarged lympth nodes.

Bailey is back at the clinic!

Last night, around midnight, as I was calling for Bailey to come upstairs--she sleeps in my room, I noticed her panting after climbing up the twelve plus steps, which continued for a few minutes after she was up the steps. Mind you, she had been napping (not very strenuous) before her walk upstairs. I panicked and called the vet. clinic. She is back up in Bellingham to have some tests, hopefully, she will be able to come back home tomorrow. Anyways, the good news is that test results, after she had the first DLI s a few weeks ago, look encouraging. We will have to wait and see what her test results look like at the end of the month from last week's DLI.

We miss Cliffy!

We are all feeling down that Cliffy is no longer with us, but Jon, Bailey ( I am counting that Bailey will still be with us), and I plan to visit him in Feb. during my mid-winter break. Jerrie, his owner said, that after I left, when he realized that I was gone, Cliffy ran to the window and cried : ( I know he was happy to be back home, but I know in my heart he felt the love my family has for him. Who'd have thought I could get so attached to a dog that is not mine?

We are Cliffyless : (

Cliffy is back at his home in Richland. We will truly miss the little guy! Today I noticed that Bailey's lymph glands are noticeable in her neck--a sign that she is not in remission, which I already knew. She will be turn seven on Friday (Tito's owner reminded me of this). I do so hope she will live to see eight!

Cliffy is back with us!

I picked up Cliffy last night in Bellingham--he was so happy to see me! He is a little sore from the catheters, but really doing quite well. Today we are spoiling him, as it is his last full day with us. Tomorrow we will take him back home to Richland, WA : (

Bailey had her DLI (donor lymphocyte infusion) today in Bellingham from her brother, (donor match) Clever Clifford. Karen O' Leary of Kiro TV did a story about it on the 6:00 news. Though Bailey came back home to Seattle this evening, Cliffy will not come home until tomorrow. Dr. Sullivan, our veterinarian, feels confident that this procedure has a very good chance of killing the remaining cancer cells in Bailey. Time will tell. At the moment Bailey is doing her second favorite thing besides eating--napping on the couch.

We're off to Bellingham!

Bailey and Cliffy have been bathed, walked and fed, as we are ready to head up to Bellingham, WA for the procedure, the donor lymphocyte infusion from Cliffy to Bailey which will be performed tomorrow by Dr. Sullivan.. Both dogs will be back in Seattle by Friday, and sadly we must return Cliffy to his owners, the Suttons, Sunday in Richland, WA. Happy for them, but sad for us as we have grown so very fond of our little hero, Clever Clifford. We are so hoping that this cutting edge procedure will get rid of the cancer cells in Bailey--time will tell.

Bailey and Cliffy's walks

Bailey and Cliffy have been enjoying their daily walks in the sun the past few days--unlike the snowy, icy, and so very cold walks of last week. Cliffy, however, feels he needs to greet every dog he meets with a very loud beagle bay, which can last up to a half hour after we have passed the dog. Meg and I have been getting questioning looks from those we pass, both in cars and on foot. Bailey doesn't mind Cliffy's bays; she just insists in taking in all the smells along the way which makes our walks so very time consuming. Cliffy, though a noisy walker, is all business-- he would run the whole way if it weren't for pokey Bailey.